Seafood, scenery and souvenirs: witness a side of Phetchaburi you’ve never seen before at Baan Laem Pak Bia

This “One Night Stay with Locals” takes you to Phetchaburi province, just a 2-3-hour car or bus ride from Bangkok. Most people who come to Phetchaburi for their holidays are local Thais looking for a relaxing escape from the hustle and bustle of the capital for a few days – which generally involves booking a hotel in one of the province’s popular seaside hotels or resorts.

However, this carefully-curated trip takes you well off Phetchaburi’s beaten path, and into the local community of Baan Laem Pak Bia.

This quaint community is situated close to the banks of the Phetchaburi River, which means that there is an abundance of seafood to be caught – and eaten – right on your doorstep, including mullet, crab, shrimp, and other shellfish.

Kick off your “Extraordinary Experience” at Baan Laem Pak Bia with a warm welcome into the community, which comprises some storytelling, local herbal drinks and snacks.

Once suitably refreshed, the day’s main activities begin with several agricultural demonstrations and visits, such as checking out how the locals sell and grow sea grapes, a stop off at a hydroponics vegetable farm and observing a blue crab fishery bank demonstration and fish market.

During the afternoon, one of the highlights of this trip to Phetchaburi awaits with a boat tour along the shoreline, providing an excellent opportunity to observe the chilled-out way of life of the local fishermen. When you stop off at a sandy beach, you can also collect some of the pretty shells to keep as your own personal souvenirs – or take them back home for friends and family (just don’t tell them that their gift was free…)

Afterward, the boat tour will take you back to your community homestay for dinner, which includes a show (with karaoke, too!), before you bed down for the night in Phetchaburi.

Wake up lazily in the following morning for a relaxed breakfast before heading off with your guide for more fun activities close to the Baan Laem Pak Bia community. Observe a tie-dyeing demonstration followed by a Thai dessert-making session. Before lunch, try your hand at basket-making using narrow-leaf cattail or lesser bulrush.

One of the highlights of this trip is scheduled for the afternoon of day-two. Your guide will take you straight to the recommended ‘Laem Pak Bia Royal Project’, which is a water treatment project that uses natural processes to maintain mangrove forests. You’ll be able to learn all about this fascinating project, as well as the highly-technical methods that go into preserving the local mangroves – one of Thailand’s most iconic natural plants. At the center, there are also some world-class bird-watching opportunities for the avian enthusiasts out there.

On the way back, stop off and browse for some hard-to-find local community products at some shops. Once you arrive back at the community homestay, it’s time to pack your belongings, bid farewell to your hosts and head back home.